Apritello
by DragonEyes1294
Summary: My attempt at a collection of Apritello One-shots. I'm hoping to write some more so please leave a review telling me what you think :) I apologise in advance for the appalling titles. If you have any suggestions for titles and topics, please let me know. It would be interesting to see what you come up with :) Rated T just in case. I do not own TMNT!
1. Chapter 1 - Lazy Morning

**A/N: This is my attempt at some Apritello One shots. Sorry for the appalling titles. I'm hoping to write more so please leave a review to let me know what you think :)**

 **Summary: The turtles are spending the weekend at the farm house. Donnie and April spend the morning in bed until interrupted by his brothers usual antics.**

Donatello woke to the unusual sound of silence. Smiling sleepily to himself he rolled onto his back, streatching his long, muscular arms above his head, feeling the satisfying crack of his joints. His brothers must still be asleep, tired after the previous days activites. They were spending the weekend with April in the old farmhouse that her family owned, taking some time off from training and battling the Kraang, to just relax and have fun. Master Splinter had remained behind with April's father to keep and eye on things and would call them if trouble arose.

They had arrived at the farmhouse, in the Shellraiser, the previous day. The first thing they had done, after dumping their bags inside, was to jump in the lake out the back. Well Leo and Raph had jumped in. Mikey had been shoved in by Raph whilst Donnie had pretty much thrown a squealing and wriggling April into the water before diving in after her. The entire afternoon had been spent larking around, splashing and dunking each other until it started to get dark and the temperature dropped.  
Returning to the house they had set up a campfire, staying up till the early hours of the morning laughing and teasing each other. As it was the guys first campfire, April had made them all s'mores, insisting that no campfire was complete without them. As usual Mikey had eaten his too fast, nearly choking on the sticky treat. Not that that had stopped him having several more afterwards.  
At some point they had all mutually decided to call it a night clearing up the campfire before collapsing into their beds falling asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

Still smiling at the memories, Donnie shifted onto his side, snuggling up to the sleeping red head laying beside him. She look so adorable sleeping. Her red hair, out of its usual ponytail, curled round her delecate face like a fiery halo, lips slightly parted. April stirred at his movements, groaning sleepily as he kissed her neck.  
"Morning sleepyhead" he murmured.  
"Ugh, morning" she grumbled, making him chuckle. Unlike him, April wasn't much of a morning person. Rolling over she cuddled up aganist his plastron, smiling to herself as she felt his arms encircle her. "What time is it?" she mumbled.  
"It's nearly ten oclock" he answered, glancing up at the clock on the wall before burying his face in her hair, breathing in her scent and kissing the top of her head.  
Tilting her head back, April wrapped her arms around his neck, placing lazy kisses up his neck and along his jaw, enjoying the low groan that escaped his lips before silencing it with her own. Arms tightening around her, Donnie tilted his head slightly deepening the kiss, hands sliding down to rest on her hips whilst hers cupped his face, pulling him closer to her.

They lay there for a long time, exploring each others mouths and bodies, completely and blissfully oblivious to the world around them. It wasn't until a loud crash, followed soon after by Leo's laughter and Raph's booming voice "Mikey I'm gonna kill you!" sounded from downstairs that they reluctantly detangled themselves.  
"Sounds like Doctor Prakenstein has struck again" Donnie said with an amused look on his face. April laughed, giving him a brief peck on the lips before hauling herself out of bed.  
"Come on" she told him, grabbing her dressing gown and pulling it on over her pjamas, "We'd better intervene _before_ they break something". As if  
to prove her point, another crash was heard followed by the sound of Leo attempting, and failing, to de-escalate the situation. Rolling his eyes in a playful manner, Donnie launched himself out of bed, crossing the room in a split second, pulling her into one last kiss, drawing it out with a few teasing movements of his tounge.  
Pulling away when Leo shouted his name in a clear call for help, he sighed, reaching round her to open the door, his lips pulling back into the gap-toothed grin that she adored.  
"Alright" he said, "Lets see what's happened this time".


	2. Chapter 2 - Nightmare - Short Version

**A/N: April has a nightmare about her father and Donnie comes to comfort her.**  
 **I've written two versions of this, this is the shorter of the two. I'm going to be posting up the longer version as well. Please leave a review letting me know what you think.  
I have realised its similar to the one ApritelloIsLife has written, this was completely unintentional and I didn't realise this until after I had finished writing it.  
If you haven't read their work here is the link: u/6714461/ApritelloIsLife**

"Dad!"  
April lurched upright in bed, heart pounding, drenched in sweat.  
Curling up into a ball she rested her head on her knees, hugging them to her chest, unable to stop the tears that poured silently down her face.  
For the last week she had been plagued by terrifying nightmares, often waking up screaming into the dark. It was getting to the point where she was afraid to sleep.  
Frightened of what the nightmares had in store for her.

The door to her room opened as Donnie hurried in, sitting next to her on the bed, pulling her into the saftey of his arms.  
"I'm sorry Don" she sobbed, "I didn't mean to wake you"  
He shrugged "You didn't, I was up anyway"  
"In the lab?" He nodded. For the last few days any time that wasn't dedicated to training or patrol, they'd been working on a retromutagen to return April's father to her.  
"We'll get your dad back April, I promise". Donnie said gently stroking her hair.  
"I know, I just miss him thats all" April mumbled into his shoulder.  
They remained there, laying on the bed, in each others arms talking about nothing in particular until the need for sleep took over and they drifted off. April feeling safe and secure in the arms of her purple clad hero.


	3. Chapter 3 - Nightmare - Long Version

**A/N Here is the longer version of Nightmare as promised. Please let me know which one you think is better and I'll to try to write more like it. :)**

"Dad!"  
April lurched upright in bed, heart pounding, drenched in sweat. Breathing heavily she took in her surroundings, reminding herself of where she was and that she was safe.  
It had been a week since her father had been covered with mutagen and transformed into a giant bat like creature. Since then she had moved in with her turtle friends down in the safety of the sewers.  
Everynight that week she had been afraid to sleep, plagued by terrifying nightmares that left her screaming in terror even though she could never remember them when she woke. The one thing she could be sure about, was that they involved her dad.  
Curling up into a ball she rested her head on her knees, hugging them to her chest, unable to stop the tears that poured silently down her face.

A quiet knock at the door caused her to glance up, just as Donatello poked his head round the door.  
The moment he saw her face, he entered the room, crossing over to sit next to her on the bed, pulling her into the comforting circle of his arms.  
April had no idea what she would've done if it hadn't been for Donnie. He had been the first to forgive her for shouting at him and his brothers after her fathers mutation. Everytime she cried out in the night he'd come and comfort her, and was always there whenever she needed a friend.

They sat in silence for a while until she calmed down, Donnie gently stroking her hair whilst she cried.  
"I'm sorry Don" she sobbed, "I didn't mean to wake you"  
He shrugged "You didn't, I was up anyway"  
"In the lab?"  
He scoffed, "Where else?". That earned a small smile. Donnie was always working on something, a new project or invention, often staying up late into the night.  
Lately he had turned his attentions to creating a retromutagen to return her dad to his natural form. The pair of them had started working on it the minute April had moved in.  
"I just miss him" April mumbled, burying her face in his neck so he couldn't see her face.  
Pulling away from her slightly, Donnie gave her a determined look,  
"We will get your dad back April, I promise".  
"I know".  
She believed him. If anyone was smart enough to bring her dad back it was him.  
They sat there for a few moments longer, before April yawned realising just how exhausted she felt.  
"I'll let you sleep" Donnie said starting to rise from the bed, hesitating when she caught his hand.  
"Would you..." she blushed slightly in embarressment "Would you stay with me, just for tonight, I don't want to be alone". The look of surprise on his face nearly made her burst out laughing. "Uh.. yeah sure" he stammered.  
Once under the covers, both blushing at the thought of being in bed together, they drifted off to sleep. April feeling safe and secure in the arms of her purple clad hero.


	4. Chapter 4 - Movie Night

**A/N Sooo I've been trying to write this one for a while, and I finally feel its finished... I think**

 **Summary: April and Donnie enjoy a night in with a film.**

"So what are we watching tonight?" April asked, pouring freshly popped popcorn into a large bowl before crossing the over to where Donnie was messing with the DVD player, trying to get the film to start.  
"Umm, some sort of Sci-fi Raph gave me" came the reply "He said it was a laugh"  
Rising form the floor he joined her on the couch, taking the popcorn out of her hands, placing it on the coffee table so he could pull her into his lap without, spilling it. She moaned as he nuzzled her neck, gently nipping at her pulse point.  
"I thought we were watching the movie" She murmured, however, despite her words, she twisted in his lap so she was straddling him, her arms winding round his neck.  
"Movie, shmovie" he muttered, closing the gap between them and pulling her closer so she was pressed against his chest.  
Their steamy make out session lasted for several minutes, the two of them oblivious to the world around them. Eventually they parted, foreheads pressed together, faces flushed as they tried to calm their breathing.  
"About that movie..." Donnie started, chuckling as April cut his off, pressing another quick kiss to his lips before turning to grab the popcorn bowl. Adjusting her position so that she was cuddled in his lap, she pressed play on the remote.  
"StarWars?" She asked, surprised as the familar theme tune blasted out of the television speakers.  
"You know it?" he asked her. April turned to look at him,  
"Yeah! It's only one of the biggest sci-fi series ever!" she exclaimed, "I can't believe you've never heard of it!"  
"I live in the sewers remember, we don't get to see a lot of films down there". She grinned.  
"Still, I can't believe you've not seen them! We have got to have a movie marathon of all the films. I've got them here somewhere". He kissed the top of her head.  
"Sounds like fun". He answered, leaning back to watch the film, pulling her with him.

The rest of the evening was spent cuddling on the sofa, sharing the popcorn until the film had ended and it was time for Donnie to go on patrol with his brothers.  
Standing on the fire escape outside her window, Donnie pulled her into his arms to kiss her goodbye.  
"I love you" he told her, when they reluctantly parted.  
"I love you to" she replied.  
Climbing up onto the rood, Donnie paused to wave back to her before disappearing into the night and April disappeared back inside.


	5. Chapter 5 - Differences

**Summary: Donnie goes to see April only to find she's upset.**

Donatello lept across the rooftops of New York, following a route he knew so well, he could do it blindfolded. Sensei had ended training early, giving him and his brothers the evening off. Seeing as he hadn't seen April all week, Donnie planned on spending it with her.

Landing silently on the fire escape outside her bedroom, he tapped lightly on the window and waited for her. A few seconds later she entered the room, red hair pulled back into its usual ponytail and dressed in her usual jeans and yellow top. Donnie frowned as he watched her cross the room to join him outside. Instead of her usual smiley and bouncy self, April walked slowly and her eyes were red as if she had been crying.  
"Hey Don" she murmured as he pulled her into a hug, his strong arms cradling her against his plastron.  
"April whats wrong?" Pulling back slightly he stared into her emerald eyes seeing the hurt that she tried so hard to hide. Shaking her head she avoided his gaze.  
"It's nothing... Just Casey being a jerk".  
Taking a step back, away from him, April leaned against the railings of the fire escape, crossing her arms over her chest, her eyes never leaving the floor. Cautiously Donnie joined her, leaning on the railings next to her, scratching the back of his head, something he did whenever he was nervous.

Casey hadn't been too thrilled to hear that they were dating. Whenever he came down to the lair he'd avoid the purple clad ninja like the plague, and whenever they were forced to be in the same room as eachother, he'd shoot numerous glares in his direction, which Donnie pretended not to notice. He had assumed that Casey would only take his anger out on him, he hadn't been aware that he'd been giving April a hard time.  
He thought back to when Casey had told him that he stood no chance of being with the wonderful red-head beside him. How much his words had affected him. Surely Casey wouldn't try and make April feel the same pain he had. Apparently he would.

"What did he say?" Donnie asked quietly, tilting his head on one side to look at her. Several moments passed before she answered. Her eyes never leaving the floor.  
"He said... He said that we aren't a real couple, that what we have is unnatural and wrong" she grimmiced as she spoke. Shifting towards her, Donnie put an arm round her, attempting to comfort her. April leaned into him, tears rolling silently down her cheeks. Raising a hand he wiped them away gently.  
"He said" she continued "that we wouldn't last long, that we were too different".  
They sat there in silence for a while. Donnie struggling to think of something that would help but kept coming up empty. On one had he was fuming at Casey for making April cry and would gladly beat him to a pulp should the opportunity arise. On the other hand he was distraught at the sight of her feeling so sad.  
If he was honest, he was also beguinning to fear where this conversation may be heading.  
Would she agree with Casey and decide that they were too different? It was something that had worried him before they had started going out. For ages he'd been convinced that it was true, but she had told him otherwise. Would she change her mind now, and few him as the mutated freak that he was? There was only one way to find out.

"What do you think?" He mumbled leaning his head on hers so that she couldn't see his worried expression. Taking hold of his hand, she played with his fingers.  
"To be honest Don, I'm worried. What if he's right and we are too different?".  
The mutant thought for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. His stonach clenched slightly, anticipating the worst. In the end he decided upon another question.  
"Do our differences bother you?"  
She turned looking at him, eyes wide and mouth in shock,  
"No of course they don't!" she exclaimed "They never have"  
Donnie smiled, feeling his body relax. Shrugging he tried to appear like the convosation hadn't phased him, knowing fully well she would see right through it. April knew how insecure he was.  
"So why does it matter what Casey thinks? Why does it matter what anyone thinks?"  
Pulling her closer, he wrapped his long tonned arms around her thin frame, hugging her against his plastron.  
"They don't know us" he continued "They don't know what we've been through or how we feel about each other. What right does Casey have to say we are unnatural? He's just jealous of what we have".  
Pressing his lips to her neck, he felt her lean back into him, relaxing in his arms.  
"I guess your right" April replied, sounding like she was talking to herself more than him "It doesn't matter at all what he thinks, or anyone else for that matter".

Turning in his arms she gazed up at her purple hero, placing her arms around his neck, fingers toying with the ends of his bandana.  
"Sorry I made you worry" she murmured. He smiled to himself, of course she'd seen through his pretence. She knew him too well.  
"Don't worry about it" He answered smirking, "Though I will admit it was strange not being the insecure one for a change"  
April scoffed, "Now you know how I feel". Donnie rolled his eyes, her favourite gap-toothed grin spreading across his face. Streatching up onto her toes, April pressed her lips to his.  
"Love you Donatello" She murmured feeling his lips smile underneath hers.  
"Love you to April"

They parted a few minutes later, breathing heavily from their steamy make out session.  
"Sooo" Donnie began looking at her questioningly, "What shall we do tonight?". Tilting her head to one side, April thought for a moment.  
"Do you mind if we go to the lair? I haven't seen you or your brothers for ages! Plus I still need to get Mikey back for pranking me, got any ideas?".  
"Plenty" he replied grinning mischivously before taking her hand and heading back towards the lair.


	6. Chapter 6 - Waiting Up

**Summary: Donnie and his brothers return from patrol and he finds April waiting for him.**

Donatello wandered through the never ending tunnels of the sewer that made up his home. Beside him his brothers grumbled about their sore limbs, teasing each other about the events of the night. They'd been out on patrol as normal and had bumped into a large number of Kraang droids who'd been out hunting for the missing mutagen.  
As a result of the fight that had broken out, they returned to the lair later than normal, muscles aching and desperate for sleep. Normally the purple clad ninja would've been content to stay up in his lab to continue working on one of his projects, but tonight he just felt like collapsing into bed and get some shut eye.

Clambering over the turnstiles, they entered the lair, his brothers muttering their goodnights and disappearing off into their rooms. Yawning Donnie made his way over to the battered sofa, leaning against the back of it smiling at the sight of April curled up into a ball asleep. The book that she had been reading for school was grasped lightly in her hands ready to drop to the floor at any moment.  
He wasn't surprised to find her there. Ever since he'd received several superficial injuries after battling Dogpound she was worried that something terrible was going to happen to either him or his brothers, often staying up waiting for them to return to ensure that they were safe.  
Walking round to the front of the sofa he delicately removed the book from her grasp, tucking it under his arm so that his hands were free to lift her from the sofa, bridal style, careful not to wake her. Compared to him, her body felt so small and fragile, as if it would break at the slightest touch. Donnie smiled to himself, in reality April was one of the toughest people he knew (which wasn't many) having overcome numerous obstacles during her life.

Pushing open the door to his bedroom, he carried her over to the bed, laying her down before turning to place her book on desk behind him. Removing his bo staff he leaned it up against the wall, the remainder of his gear ending up in a pile on the floor before he joined her in the bed pulling the covers over them. Enveloping her in his arms, Donnie cradled her against his plastron, her head tucked protectively under his chin. Kissing the top of her head the ninja closed his eyes, listening to the gentle sound of her breathing and happy in the knowledge that he held the love of his life in his arms as he succumbed to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7 - Homework

**Summary: Donnie is helping April with her homework, supposedly.**

"Do you get it now?" Donnie asked, tilting is head to one side to see her response.  
He'd been helping Arpil with her maths homework, something that she'd been struggling with for the past few minutes, partly because she hated algebra and partly because everytime she thought of how close he was, her mind would go blank.  
As usual they were in his lab, April perched on a stool whilst he stood behind her, leaning forward so that he could see her calculations over her shoulder, hands resting on the desk beside hers.  
"Umm yeah I think so" she replied, trying desperately to remember what he'd just taught her. His cool breath tickled her neck making her shiver slightly.  
"Have a go at the next one" he told her, pointing towards the problem in question. Sighing, April tried to focus, jotting down a few numbers but getting nowhere. All she could think about was the tall, tonned mutant that was standing right behind her and how much she wanted to kiss him. Ducking her head, April hopped Donnie didn't the blush that burned across her cheeks. He did, and of course, being the highly intelligent scientist that he was, he knew exactly what she was thinking.  
"Are you ok?" he murmured, deliberately brushing his lips up and down her neck, enjoying the way she shivered with pleasure at his touch, "you seem, distracted"  
Closing her eyes, April leaned back into him, relishing the feeling of his strong arms encirling her, hugging her from behind. All thoughts of the homework in front of her, being pushed firmly from her mind. "You could say that"  
He chuckled, pressing a kiss just beneath her ear. Her skin felt like it was on fire under his touch and she was unable to hold back the small moan that escaped her lips.  
Twisting swiftly on the stool, she grasped his face in both hands, crushing her lips to his.  
Pulling her close so that she was pressed up against his plastron, Donnie kissed her back, his lips soft yet urgent against her. Hands dropping to her waist he ran the tip of his tounge against her lips, reveling in the taste and taking advantage when they parted in a surprised gasp.  
Stumbling backwards, pulling April with him so not to break their passionate embrace, Donnie reached behind him, locking the door to his lab, not wanting one of his brothers, to walk in on them.  
April ran her hands over his shoulders and arms, feeling the muscles beneath his skin, taking delight at the feeling of his fingers tangling in her smooth auburn hair, which he'd released from its usual ponytail.  
Leaning against the metal door of the lab, the pair became completely lost in eachother, relishing in the reactions they elicited from one another, completely oblivious to the world around them.

Behind them, Aprils homework remained unfinished on the desk, totally forgotten.


	8. Chapter 8 - My Hero

**Summary: April wakes up in the middle of the night, and contemplates her feelings for Donnie.**

 **A/N Again not sure how this one has come out so feel free to let me know :)**

April jumped as a sudden clap of thunder boomed somewhere outside shortly followed by a bright flash of lightning that lit up the room completely for a spilt second. She always struggled to sleep during thunderstorms, they always made everything around her seem terrifying as if it had come straight out of a horror film.  
Despite knowing that she was safe and sound in the farmhouse, she couldn't help the way her heart raced and her breath caught in her throat.  
Tugging the blankets tightly around her she snuggled closer into Donatellos arms. No matter what the situation was or how bad it seemed to get, she always felt safe in the arms of her purple clad ninja.  
Even when they were just friends, the comforting circle of his embrace always managed to chase away any fears that she had. A silent promise that everything was going to be alright.

Resting her head at the base of his neck, April felt her body relax as she listened to the soft gentle sound of his breathing. She loved him. Loved the way he poked his tounge out between his teeth when he concentrated, the way that his eyes would light up and how he spoke at nintey miles an hour whenever he explained some new discovery or invention that he'd been focusing on. Even though she had to really focus to understand what he was saying, she couldn't help but get caught up in his excitement.  
Whenever something was wrong, Donnie was always there for her. When she woke up screaming in the night from a nightmare, he would always come and comfort her, holding her whilst she cried, often staying with her for the rest of the night to make her feel better, just like he was doing now. If she was angry or upset, Donnie was always there listening  
patiently whilst she got everything off her chest, never once complaining. Afterwards he would either offer up a good piece of advice, or a distraction that always left her laughing so hard she cried.  
In the moments they spent alone together, he elicited feelings that she had never felt before. The way he would look at her with his smouldering eyes made her insides melt, whilst her skin felt as if it was on fire under his touch. The feeling of his lips against hers always left her wanting more. He knew exactly how to make her heart pound to the point where she was convinced it was about to burst out of her chest.

Donnie made her feel strong. The only reason she had managed to overcome every obstical that had been thrown her way. He was her hero in everyway.

April knew he was insecure, the thought of anyone loving a six foot mutant turtle was something that continued to baffle him. He'd once asked her why she stayed with him when she could be with a normal lad who lived on the surface. One who could have a normal relationship with her rather then hide in the shadows.  
It had taken her a while to convince him that she didn't want a normal boy. She loved Donnie, quirks and all. He was unique and deep down, April knew that she would never love anyone else.

Titling her head back April looked up at the turtle sleeping peacefully beside her, smiling at how relaxed he looked. Carefully, so that she wouldn't wake him, winding her arms around his shoulders and pressing a gentle kiss into the side of his neck, April closed her eyes allowing herself to slip back into unconsiousness, no longer afraid of the thunderstorm that continued to rage outside.


	9. Chapter 9 - Snowball Fight

**A/N Sorry for the wait guys, I've had a lot of uni work to do lately. This is my Christmas Apritello one-shot. Hope you enjoy :)**

April woke to bellowing tones of Raphael, shortly followed by the sound of a door slamming.  
"Mikey I'm gonna kill you!"  
Grinning to herself, April jumped out of bed, reaching the window just in time to see the youngest turtle come barrelling out of the kitchen into the garden, his short tempered brother hot on his heels. Snow flew in all directions as Raph tackled Mikey to the floor determined to make him pay for whatever prank the orange clad ninja had pulled on him this time.

The turtles and Splinter were spending the Christmas holidays with April and her father in the old farmhouse. They'd spent the previous day putting up Christmas decorations around the house. Laughing to herself, April remembered how excited Mikey had gotten at the idea, rushing round the house with armfuls of tinsel and decorations determined on making the house look like a Santa's grotto while Raph and Leo followed him, trying to reign in the young turtles creative enthusiasm. Something that wasn't easy to do.  
Donnie and April had been on tree decorating duty. It had taken them a while to untangle the mass of lights before wrapping them around the tree and adding the many multi-coloured baubles. Donnie's height had come in handy as there was no way she would've managed to reach the top branches without fetching a chair. Of course that had led to him teasing her about being short.  
Later on he had surprised her outside her room with some mistletoe he'd found somewhere outside. The romantic gesture had been completely perfect until Mikey ruined it, snapping a picture of the couple and exclaiming how adorable they were. The chase that followed had her laughing so hard her face hurt.

Quickly swapping her pyjamas for a pair of jeans and a warm sweatshirt, she skipped downstairs, heading towards the kitchen. As she crossed the hallway, April could hear the sound of the her father and Splinter chatting in the living room, no doubt avoiding the commotion outside. Entering the kitchen she found Donatello leaning against the counter with a mug of steaming coffee in his hands.  
"Morning" She greeted him, gratefully accepting the coffee he poured her. Leaning against the counter next to him, she sipped her drink, feeling the hot liquid warm her insides. "Morning" he replied, wrapping an arm around her waist and bending down to give her a quick kiss.  
"What's Mikey done now?" she asked, gesturing towards the back door with her mug.  
"He decided that Raph needed help waking up" he replied, chuckling at his brothers antics, "So he stuffed snow down the back of his shell, Leo's just gone out to make sure things don't get out of hand". Joining in with his laughter, April drained her drink. Taking his, she placed the empty mugs in the sink to wash up later before heading back to wrap her arms around his Donnie's waist, smiling as he returned the gesture.  
"Why does he do these things?" she asked, tilting her head back to look at him "He knows it only winds Raph up".  
"Its just how they bond" Donnie answered shrugging, "They've always done it and besides Mikey knows not to take it too far".  
Grinning April stretched up onto her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his in another brief kiss before grabbing her coat and boots. Pulling them on she headed towards the back door, Donnie right behind her.

Outside Raphael had finally released his younger brother, only to be hit in the face by a fistful of snow that Mikey had grabbed as he scrambled to get away.  
"Oh your for it now Mikey!" Raph yelled, bending down to arm himself. The snowball that he launched at the orange clad turtle missed, hitting Donnie in the chest instead, triggering a war that sent everyone racing round the yard, shouting and laughing as snowballs filled the air.

The war raged for most of the morning, ending when Aprils father called them in for breakfast. Heading back inside, Donnie stuffed snow down the back of Aprils coat, making her squeal as the cold substance ran down her back. Ignoring the laughter from the others, she turned to give him a playful shove which he swiftly avoided, her favourite gap-toothed grin plastered on his face. "That's pay back for earlier" he laughed referring to when April and Mikey ambushed him as he dogged Leo's constant onslaught. Rolling her eyes at her boyfriend, April followed him inside unable to stop the smile that spread across her face. This was going to be the best Christmas ever!

 **A/N Well there it is guys. If I get time to write another one I will.**


	10. Chapter 10 - Alive Breathing and In Love

**My longest Apritello one-shot so far, based after the events of "In Dreams" (Episode 5 Season 3). Sorry its taken so long guys.  
Summary: April is still worried about Donnie and goes to check on him.**

"He's not breathing. Donnie's not breathing!"

April's eyes shot open and se bolted upright in bed, her heart pounding and her breathing heavy. This was the fifth time that night she had woken up in a wild panic despite knowing that the Dream Beavers were gone and that all four of her ninja turtle friends were alive and safe.  
No matter how much she tried, April couldn't shake the image of her best friend slumped against the sofa, asleep like his brothers, trapped in the world of the Dream Beavers who were draining the life out of them. She had tried everything she could think of to wake them, but nothing had worked.

Time and time again she had checked their vital signs as they became weaker and weaker.  
But what had scared her the most was the moment when she realised Donnie had stopped breathing. Desperately she had searched for a pulse, a heartbeat, a breath, anything! But it was no use, Donnie was gone. Or so she'd thought.  
It wasn't until Casey had smashed the one thing keeping their friends in the dream world did any of the turtles start to stir, one by one waking to the sight of the now tiny toy sized beavers that had escaped into our world. Donnie had been the last to wake. The sight of his chocolate brown eyes finally opening, and his chest expanding with air had filled April with such joy and relief that she had flung her arms around him in a tight hug kissing his cheek, not caring if the others in the room saw.

Kicking the duvet back, April pushed herself out of bed. She wasn't going to be able to sleep unless she know he was alright. Quietly she exited her room, careful not wake her friends, sleeping in the neighbouring rooms. Crossing the hall, she slowly pushed open the door to the room that Donnie and Mikey shared.  
Popping her head in April spied the sleeping form of Michelangelo laying sprawled across his bed, gently snoring and mumbling something about pizza and ice cream kitty.  
Shaking her head and smiling to herself, April turned her attention to the bed nearest the door, finding it empty. "He must be in the barn" She figured, making her way downstairs and out towards the barn where Donnie had set up a make shift lab.

Being the insomniac of the group, Donnie often stayed up late into the night, tinkering with one of his inventions or working on one of his many projects.  
As she neared the barn April could hear him working on the Party Wagon. The familiar sounds already relieving some of her anxiety. She could just imagine the look on his face as he concentrated, eyes narrowed and the tip of his tongue poking out between his teeth. She'd never told him, but she thought he looked adorable like that. A few months ago, April had realised she thought of Donnie as more than a friend. Since then her feelings for him had only grown but she was too afraid to tell him.  
Giving the door a shove, April entered the bar, quickly spotting Donatello's legs sticking out from under the van.  
"Hey April" he called, pausing for a second to see who had entered "Can't sleep?", she shook her head, crossing over to sit next to him, watching him work. He must have seen the worried look on her face as he pulled himself out from under the vehicle to sit beside her, toying with the wrench in his hand. "What's wrong?" Donnie asked watching her with concern on his face. Although Casey and April had filled the guys in what happened whilst they were in the dream world they hadn't told them about Donnie's brief encounter with death and she couldn't keep it to herself any longer.  
Throwing her arms around him, she hugged him tightly as if she was afraid she'd wake up to find him gone. Tears starting to roll down her face which she buried in his neck as she released all the stress and worry that she'd been holding in. After a few moments, the turtle hugged her back, startled by her sudden movements. The wrench slipped from his grasp, clattering to the floor.  
"A-April what's wrong?" he stammered pulling slightly back to see her face, brushing away her tears with his thumb. Sobbing April told him the whole thing, her voice shaky from crying, unable to look at him.  
"I failed you Donnie" she finished staring down at the floor, "You died and there was nothing I could do to stop it".

Donnie was stunned. He knew that he and his brothers had been close, but he hadn't realised just how close they'd come. Though it did explain the concerned glances April had been giving him all afternoon and how she'd quickly dash out of the room if they were left alone. She had been trying to hide how worried she was.

"But you didn't fail April" He told her pulling her into his lap, gently crushing her against his plastron. She could feel his heart beating strongly in his chest, reassuring her that he was ok. "You reached me whilst I was in the Dream Beavers world. You told me to wake up. Twice. That's how I figured it all out. You reached the others too April. You were there for me, for all of us"  
"But it wasn't enough" April whispered, "You still died"  
"April" pulling back Donnie, grasped her face in his large green hands, forcing her to look at him. "Do I look dead to you?" she shook her head. "I may have been gone for a moment April, but that's all it was, a moment. I came back, just like I always have and always will".

Feeling his hands drop to her shoulders, April finally relaxed, releasing a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. He really was alright. "Is that's what's been bothering you?" he asked gently. She nodded "It was the worst moment in my life. You mean so much to me Don, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, and for a moment there I did". Her voice broke as she finished the sentence.  
"Well you don't have to worry about me, I'm not going anywhere" he reassured her pulling her back into a hug.

They sat there for several moments in silence, April curled up in his lap, staring into each other's eyes. In his she saw only love. It gave her the courage to admit what she had kept to herself for so long.  
"I love you" she told him watching as his eyes widened and his breath quickened.  
"Y-you do?" he stammered as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. She nodded, hoping that this was a good sign. Although she had overheard his brothers teasing him about having a crush on her, part of her still felt nervous admitting this to him.  
"I love you to April" Donnie replied resting his head against hers. His arms wound round her waist whilst hers, went around his neck. Tilting her head up, April gently pressed her lips to his feeling him freeze for a split second before returning the kiss passionately, releasing all the emotions that he had kept locked up inside him since the moment he'd first laid eyes on her.

Although his mouth was slightly wider than her own, April was surprised to find that his lips were very much like a humans, smooth and soft yet firm as they moved against hers.

They had no idea how long they sat there, wrapped up in each other's arms, their lips dancing together. The barn could've caught on fire and they wouldn't have noticed.  
Eventually they parted, breathing heavily. "Wow" Donnie breathed seeming dazed.  
"Wow" she replied equally dazed.  
They chatted for a bit once they'd gotten their breath back, their conversation ending when April yawned, tiredness catching up with her. "Am I boring you?" he joked flashing her favourite gap-toothed grin making her giggle. "No, but not all of us can stay up all night like you". Donnie chuckled  
"Come on sleepy head". Detangling herself from him, April wandered back into the farmhouse, Donnie following her, flipping off the light in the barn as he left.

Back on the landing outside her room, Donnie said goodnight, before turning to go back to his room.  
"Umm, Don?" April said nervously fidgeting as he paused to look at her. "Would you stay with me tonight?" Despite knowing he was fine, she didn't want to be revisited by the images that had plagued her earlier. He smiled, nervously scratching the back of his head.  
"S-sure, if that's what you want"

Inside her room, April crawled into bed, shifting over to give the turtle some room as he joined her. Pulling the covers up over them she cuddled up to his plastron, laying her head against his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating. Strong arms encircled her she felt him rest his cheek against the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere April, I promise" he murmured into her hair.  
"I know" she mumbled already half asleep, feeling him chuckle quietly at her groggy response.  
Within a few minutes April was asleep, the sound of Donnie's steady even breathing and beating heart a happy reminder that he was alive and safe.

 **Hope you enjoyed :)  
Might be a while till the next one as I'm going into placement at university and writing my dissertation. Sorry in advance for that x**


	11. Chapter 11 - Pranks and Cookies

**Summary: April is spending some time with Mikey for a change, and Donnie is way over due a visit from Dr Prankenstein. Not sure where Raph and Leo are, probably sparring in the dojo.  
Not my best story, will probably go over it an improve it at some point so watch this space :)**

Donatello frowned, curiously turning his head towards the kitchen where April and Mikey could be heard giggling mischievously. The orange-clad turtle had dragged his girlfriend in there earlier to make cookies but now he figured they were up to something more sinister. Shaking his head in confusion he turned back to the broken t-phone on his desk, smashed during one of his brother's recent wrestling matches.

"Hey Don, can you come in here a minute" April called, sounding like she was desperately trying not to laugh. In the background he swore he could hear his younger brother giggling. Rolling his eyes at the obvious trap, but still curious as to what they were up to, Donnie pushed himself away from his desk, wandering through his lab and the main living area towards the kitchen.

As he neared the kitchen he could hear Mikey giggling and April desperately shushing him. Yup definitely a trap.  
"Mikey, April" he called out in a sing-song voice "What are you up to?"  
"Nothing!" They called back, before bursting into another fit of giggles, like a pair of five year olds. What were they up to? Donnie wondered allowing curiosity to get the better of him, knowing fully well that it could be at his own expense.

Pushing open the kitchen door, the purple ninja immediately realised their plans when he was hit by a sudden blast of water, drenching him from head to foot. Glancing upwards, he spied the now empty bucket of water, tied to the top of the door (to allow it to tip over but not fall on its head), before turning his gaze to the two teens rolling around on the floor, holding their sides as they laughed. April was even crying with laughter. "Sorry Don, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity".  
"Dude!" Mikey yelled "You totally just got pranked by your girlfriend!"  
Raising an eyebrow ridge, Donnie watched as they slowly calmed down.  
"You're not mad are you D?" Mikey asked, watching his brother with wide blue eyes, wondering if he was suddenly going to have to make a run for it. Normally Donnie would already be chasing the orange ninja around the lair, but he just couldn't stay mad when April was smiling the way she was.  
"Noo" Donatello answered, a mischievous smile slowly spreading over his face as an idea popped into his head.  
Darting forwards he quickly tried to pull them into a hug. Whilst Mikey was fast enough to avoid the attack, April wasn't.  
She squealed as he pulled her into his arms, pressing as much of his wet body against hers as possible. "You're all wet!" she screamed trying and completely failing to escape his grasp.  
"Whose fault would that be?" he murmured in her ear, flashing a gap-toothed grin at her. She laughed, pulling his head down for a quick kiss.  
"Eww! Still here guys". Still grinning, Donnie set April on her feet. Turning she grabbed a plate of the cookies she and Mikey had made earlier, offering one to him with an apologetic smile, "Cookie?"


	12. Chapter 12 - Dancing

**Finally found the time to write another one-shot, unfortunately I can't say when the next one will be. Don't hate me too much please.**

Absentmindedly humming along to the radio, Donatello fiddled with one of the many circuit boards that made up Metal Heads AI Brain. Constantly re-arranging and tweaking the various components until they looked right. It had had been a while since the robot had gone haywire during a battle with the Kraang and it was about time he got round to fixing him. Maybe he'll upgrade some of Metal Heads weaponry at the same time, though he knew his brothers were most likely to batter him if he did.

The scientist was so engrossed in his work that he almost missed the soft click of the lock and the quiet creaking of his lab door opening. Glancing behind him, Donnie couldn't stop the enormous smile that spread across his face, almost threatening to split his face in two, as he spotted April, carefully closing the large metal door behind her. It had been a week since he'd last seen the red head, due to her going on some school trip to the countryside, and he'd missed her terribly.

"Hey April!" Don called, leaping off his stool to pull her into a bear hug, which she eagerly returned, despite, laughing at his enthusiasm which currently had her being crushed against his plastron.  
"Hi Don" she laughed, "Can't breathe"  
"Oh sorry". Stepping back slightly he reluctantly released her, going slightly red in embarrassment, before heading back over to his desk to continue working. Pinching another stool from somewhere behind him, April dragged it over to watch him work. Normally she would offer to help, but when it came to programming and robotics, she was seriously out of her depth and it was better to just leave him to it. "How was the trip?" Donnie enquired as he soldered down a stubborn component that refused to remain in place. "Tiring" she sighed, rolling her eyes, "I swear if I hear one more of Casey's one liners I will not be responsible for my actions" He had to laugh at that, glad that she found the scruffy hockey player as annoying as he did. The pair chatted for a while, catching up on the events of each other's week. For Donnie, his week had been rather boring, with no sightings of the Kraang or Shredder. If it hadn't been for his projects and Mikey's constant need to wind up Raph, the purple clad ninja swore he would've gone mad.

They were just laughing at April's description of Casey being chased by sheep, when the music on the radio changed from its usual upbeat tunes, to a gentler, more relaxing tune. "Oh I love this one" April exclaimed, sparking an idea in Dons mind. Placing down his tools, the turtle rose from his desk, moving round to stand in front of April, offering her one of his hands. "May I?" he asked, flashing her favourite gap-toothed grin. His heart thumped erratically when she smiled and placed her delicate hand in his. "I didn't know you danced" she said as Donnie led her to the middle of the lab.  
"Sensei taught us when we were younger" he shrugged "Said it was a good way to learn timing".  
"I bet that was fun" April chuckled as her arms wound round his neck and his encircled her waist, causing her body to press up against his in a way that never failed to set his heart racing. Laughing with her, Donnie leaned his forehead against hers closing his eyes at the intimacy of the moment and silently praying that no one interrupted them.  
"It wasn't too bad, Raph was the only one who really had no patience for it, especially when paired up with Mikey who, as you can probably imagine, thought the whole thing was a joke". The idea of big muscular Raph trying to slow dance with the hyperactive orange turtle had the couple laughing for several minutes as they gently swayed in time with the radio. They danced through several more tunes, not paying attention to anything outside their own private universe that they'd created. It was only when the music ended did they finally stop, only for April to reach up on her tip-toes to kiss him. "Love you Don" she murmured when they finally parted.  
"Love you to April" he replied leaning down for another kiss, "Welcome home"

 **As always, thanks for reading, don't forget to let me know what you think, all comments are appreciated :)**


	13. Chapter 13 - His April

**Well we've already seen Aprils thoughts about Donnie, now its his turn.**

Fiddling with his microscope, Donatello examined his latest batches of mutagen, often stealing sideways glances across the lab to where April was hunched over homework. The light from his desk lamp causing her auburn hair to shine brightly like a flaming halo that framed her face as she worked. From where he sat he could easily see the look of concentration on her face, the adorable frown that she wore and the way she silently muttered to herself as she scribbled down notes. He could tell when she figured something out as her whole face would light up, eyes sparkling in the light and a triumphant grin spreading across her face as she neatly copied down the answer in her text book. The whole scene never failed to take his breath away. For the life of he couldn't work out what how he had gotten so lucky as to land himself someone as wonderful as her.

There were many qualities about the red head that he admired, one of which was her constant strength and resilience and how, despite everything she had been through, she somehow found the strength to keep on powering through life, determined not to let anything hold her back.  
Her constant and unwavering faith was another, shining through whenever life threw something particularly nasty at them. Like when her father had been mutated into a giant bat, or when they'd faced the Kraang mothership as it soared above New York, threatening all that lived within its confines. April's belief in the abilities of him and his brothers helped give them the strength to battle on no matter how many Kraang droids or foot soldiers came their way.  
And then there was how she saw them, her ability to see past their mutated, reptilian outer shells, to who they were underneath, as people. Never once did she shy away from what they were, always treating him and his family as she did Casey or any other humans she came into contact with, as equals. Despite this it still amazed Donnie how she looked past their physical differences and he almost had to fight the urge to search for any signs that it bothered her, but all his insecurities were repeatedly smashed to pieces by every smile she sent his way, every kiss and touch that sent his heart wild and turned his brain to such mush that he couldn't even form simple sentences let alone the answers to the complicated equations he dealt with on an almost daily basis. The feeling of her touch made his skin burn in the best way possible and he knew that it was something that he'd never get used to, and that he'd never take her love for granted. April had turned his world upside down and he was determined not to let her go.

A gentle tug on the tails of his purple bandana, snapped the turtle out of his thoughts. Glancing upwards Donnie couldn't stop the burning blush from spreading across his face when he realised he'd been caught staring. "Daydreaming?" April asked, hugging him from behind, planting a kiss into the base of his neck. Reaching up Donnie pulled her into his lap, hugging her close against his, breathing in the smell of her, brain already turning to jelly. It was late and there was no way he was going to finish his work now. Not with his April curled up in his arms. "Yup and I'll give you one guess as to what about" he told her, pressing his lips against hers before she had a chance to answer. Not that she was complaining.

 **Took a while to write, but finally got there. :)  
**


	14. Chapter 14 - Over worked

**Hey guys, sorry it's been a while (I swear I say this every time lol) but I've been working on my dissertation which is pretty much taking over my life.  
I am aware this story changes in tenses halfway through, it's intentional.  
A BIG thank you to RBBBH for being the sole reviewer for this story, your kind words have encouraged me to write more x :D**

Two days without sleep didn't bother Donatello, he could easily cope with that. But a week left him feeling as if he'd taken on the entire Kraang army single handed. The tallest turtle had spent the last seven days locked in his lab, barely eating and fighting off sleep with excessive amounts of caffeine and deafeningly loud music that blared obnoxiously through his headphones as he scribbled down endless notes and typed furiously on his computer. Around him lay several biology textbooks that he'd scavenged from dumps or borrowed from April and Casey.  
He'd tried to sleep, but each time he closed his eyes, his mind would be flooded with violent images, all of them involving the beautiful red head ending up with some sort of horrific injury, or worse. And while Donnie know the anatomy of turtles like the back of his hand, knowledge which had served him well in his role as the family medic, his knowledge of human anatomy was, in his opinion, lacking. The idea that something would happen to his sweet chinchilla and being helpless to do anything about it, plagued Donatello's mind constantly, driving him to continue his never ending research almost to the point of collapsing, ignoring his brothers constant attempts to encouraging him out and Raphael's threats to drag him out by the tails of his bandanna. They eventually gave up, knowing that there was only one person who could break him out of his obsession.

That's how April found him that weekend, slumped over the desk, scribbling notes that had gotten beyond legible, and his head nearly on the desk in exhaustion. His skin was pale from the lack of food, and he had big bags under his eyes from not sleeping. He looked ill and she hated seeing him in this way, it broke her heart knowing he was hurting himself like this. Especially knowing that she was the root cause.

Crossing over the lab, April silently took in the piles of books and scribbles that dominated the majority of Donnie's desk, shaking her head slightly to herself as she went. She knew her boyfriend was prone to getting carried away with his work sometimes, but he rarely went this far. When he did, it was as if he no longer registered that the rest of the world even existed, and would be totally consumed in whatever it was that had caught his attention, until he was satisfied it was dealt with.

Donnie jumped when April gently rested a hand on the top of his shell, the sudden movement causing his earbuds to drop onto the desk top and several sheets of paper to fall to the floor, scattering in all directions. His chocolate brown eyes, widened slightly at the sight of her before dropping back to the book in front of him.  
"Hey April" he mumbled, though he was so tired it came out more like a garbled mush. She didn't even smile at his mumblings, his condition wasn't funny.

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his lanky frame, tucking her face into his shoulder so she could kiss his neck before turning her attentions to his muscles. The feeling of her hands, gradually releasing all the tension in his body made him groan quietly to himself. Closing his eyes Donnie leaned back in his chair enjoying the way her touch made him feel.  
"Take a break with me?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.  
"I'm working" he muttered shaking his head slightly, determined on getting back to his notes.  
"It'll still be here when you get back, it's not like it's going to blow up like the last time you left your work unattended".  
Don snorted "I should've know not to leave explosive chemicals where Mikey can reach them".  
They remained like that for a few moments smiling at the memory before Donnie tried to stifle a yawn.  
Pulling back slightly, April gave him a small nudge "come on, you need a break, being cooped up in here isn't doing you any good".  
"I'm fine"  
"Really Don?" The look she gave him gave no room to argue.  
Giving up, the purple clad turtle got to his feet, stumbling slightly as a wave of vertigo hit him. If it wasn't for April steadying him, he probably would've fallen flat on his face.

With her help, he stumbled towards the purple kingdom that was his bedroom. Without even bothering to remove his gear, Donnie collapsed on his bed, pulling his girlfriend with him, the remaining tension in his body vanishing almost immediately. He lay on his back, arms wrapped protectively around Aprils thin frame, holding her tightly as if afraid she was about to disappear into thin air like she did in his nightmares. Her arms were around his neck, face buried in the curve between his shoulder and neck, slim fingers gently stroking his face.  
"Why do you do it Don?" she murmured softly, "why do you put yourself through this?"  
Raising a large green hand to cup her face, his chocolate eyes staring into her crystal blue, "because if anything were to happen to you, I'd never forgive myself" he whispered.

In response April pulled him closer, feeling his grip tighten around her showing just how worried he was. "Nothing's going to happen to me Don, and either way, making yourself ill isn't going to help anybody". Donnie sighed, feeling his heavy eyelids drooping with exhaustion.  
"Suppose not" he mumbled to himself as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness. "Love you April". She smiled against his neck, knowing that although he couldn't see it, he'd feel it "Love you to Don".

The couple slept until late the next day, wrapped in each other's arms. April woke first, carefully detangling herself from his long limbs only to return to his room some time later with a large tray of food which he practically inhaled when he woke. The nightmares that had plagued his life for the last week, already becoming a distant memory.


	15. Chapter 15 - Popcorn and Toasters

**Hey guys, just wanting to say thank you to RBBBH, LittleKaren and Sandra09 for their kind reviews :)  
There is an alternative ending to this, I'll post it in italics at the bottom, I wasn't sure if I should add it or not so I'll let you decide. I've added extra spacing between the paragraphs as I was told they were difficult to make out, please let me know if this is an improvement. If not I'll put them back to normal.  
Summary: April has a bad day, so Donnie cheers her up :)**

April fumed silently to herself as she quickly made her way along the crowded streets of New York, occasionally bumping into people who were completely absorbed in their own little world just as she was hers. Catching the tip of her shoe on a loose paving slab, she stumbled forwards onto the unforgiving concrete, text books spilling out of her school bag and into the mud from by yesterday's rain. Internally cursing herself, the red head scooped up the escaped books, roughly stuffing them back into her rucksack as she carried on towards the lair.

To say that today had been a disaster would be, in April's opinion, an understatement. It had started with her sleeping through her alarm sending her into a wild rush to get ready for school in time. However her desperate efforts were in vain as, despite arriving only a few minutes late, her form tutor had been in a particularly bad mood, giving her an on the spot detention much to Casey's amusement. Of course he'd landed himself in detention like always and had spent the entire hour rabbiting on about his upcoming hockey match.  
At lunchtime a stupid argument with one of the cheerleading squad over who knows what, led to some creative, yet vulgar, graffiti being spray painted across April's locker which the care taker made _her_ clean off. On top of all that, there was the seemingly endless amounts of homework that her teachers had generously decided to hand out for the weekend. By the time she was finally released from detention, April was so frustrated that you could almost see steam shooting out of her ears.

After walking round the block a few times to cool down a bit, April finally made her way to the familiar manhole cover by her apartment. She and Donnie had made plans to hang out and after the day she'd had, an evening with her gorgeous boyfriend was exactly what April needed. Glancing around to ensure she wasn't being followed the young Kunoichi climbed down into the sewers that hid her reptilian friend's home.

The first thing that April noticed, as she swung her legs over the old turnstiles, was that it was unusually quiet in the lair. Normally the place would be filled with the noise of the turtles training or playing video games. At the very least she'd expected to hear the bellowing tones of Raphael as he chased the youngest turtle Michelangelo, promising him a pounding in response to his latest prank. But for once the lair was silent except for the occasional metallic sounds emitting from the direction of Donnie's lab. The familiar noise brought a smile to the red heads face, her frustrations from earlier quickly vanishing from her mind.

She found Donatello in his usual spot, hunched over his desk in his lab, completely fixated on his latest project. The tip of his tongue could be seen poking out between his teeth as he concentrated, a look which April had always considered adorable. In front of him sat a large, rectangular metal box that had wires sticking out of the top in all directions and looked like it had been burned in the oven. It took a while for April to realise she was staring at the remains of their toaster.

Sensing her approach, the purple banded turtle glanced up from his tinkering, his signature gap tooth grin quickly spreading over his face when he spotted her.  
"Hey April!"  
"Hey Don" she replied, eagerly returning the hug he offered her, no matter how bad things got, the quirky scientist never failed to bring a smile to her face.  
"Where is everyone?" she asked when as they separated, dragging another stool over so that she could sit next to the lanky turtle who'd already returned his attention to the mangled contraption in front of him. Her school bag laying abandoned by the door.  
"Um, Splinters probably meditating in the dojo, and the others are skateboarding in the tunnels".  
That explains how quiet it is, April thought to herself, leaning forward on the desk to watch him  
work. The way his hands expertly manipulated the various components, somehow getting them to do what he wanted was something she could watch all day.  
"What happened to _that_?" she asked, tilting her head towards the crippled toaster, expecting some tale about Raph and Mikey demolishing it during one of their chases. To her surprise her boyfriend snorted with laughter before happening.  
"Believe it or not, _Leo_ happened to it" he chuckled, "Don't ask me what he was doing because I don't know, one minute he was heading towards the kitchen, the next he was yelling about some sort of fire, Sensei went nuts and has banned him from the kitchen until further notice!"

The mental image of Leonardo, one of the more sensible brothers, somehow managing to set fire to something as simple as a toaster, had April in hysterics, her sudden bout of laughter nearly causing her to fall of her stool. Her laughter must have been infectious as Donnie was soon joining in. They laughed so hard their sides hurt.

"How was school?" he asked once they had finally calmed down.  
"Let's just say I'm glad it's over" she sighed staring at a spare piece of wire she was absentmindedly fiddling with. She could almost _feel_ Donnie's concerned gaze fixed on her.  
"Want to talk about it?" he quietly offered, placing his tools down on the desk and swivelling round on his stool to give her his full attention.

That was one of the reasons she loved Donatello. No matter how small or insignificant her problems were, he was always there for her, listening patiently whilst she got everything off her chest, never once complaining about her rantings. Afterwards he always know what to do to make her feel better, whether it was a few comforting words, a good piece of advice or a simple distraction that made her forget the cause of her frustrations. He was doing it now, just like he had done when her father had been transformed into a giant mutant bat. Only this time there wasn't any tears.

"Sorry Don" April mumbled when finished, her cheeks going slightly red in embarrassment "it's just been one of those days". The terrapin smiled at her,  
"Don't worry about it, I know what you mean, try living with Mikey and Raph for your whole life". She giggled, "Yeah I can imagine".  
Getting to his feet, Donnie pulled her into a reassuring hug, the feeling of his strong arms around her thin frame along with his unique scent, melting away the remainder of her frustration.  
"You know I'm always here for you if you need me" he murmured as he gently held her to him. His quiet words warming her heart. "I know Don, and you know I'm always here for you to right". Donnie nodded, releasing her before quickly disappearing out of the lab claiming he needed to fetch something.

Donatello returned a few minutes later, carrying a large bowl of popcorn and a DVD in his hands. Digging his handmade laptop out from under a pile of blueprints he had been working on, he crossed over to the makeshift cot, which he sometimes used as a bed, in the corner of the lab. Popping the DVD into the CD he patted the empty space beside him.  
Not needing to be asked twice, April quickly joined him. Once the film was started, the turtle, wrapped his arms around her, pulling the red head into his lap, cradling her against him as he leaned back against the wall. The film was a cheesy comedy that he'd swiped from Mikey's collection. They'd seen it several times already but it still made them laugh as they cuddled and fed each other popcorn.

By the time the movie was three quarters of the way through, the odd couple had lost interest, wrapped up in their own little world of passionate kisses and loving embraces. April loved those quiet moments they shared together when they could be affectionate without the risk of being teased by Donnie's brothers. Due to the hectic lives they led, those moments were few and far between so they made sure to make the most of them whenever possible. Of course it was ruined when the others returned from the sewers. However for April it was the perfect ending, to what had started off as an awful day.

 **Alternative ending (new paragraph, fits in before the last sentence)  
** _Michelangelo excitedly retelling the tale of Leo and the toaster, much to the blue banded turtle's embarrassment, until Raphael threatened to pound him, chasing the young turtle around the lair just like she had expected to see when she'd arrived earlier. The five of them waited until Casey arrived before beginning a horror movie marathon despite Donnie's protest. He thought horror stories were silly and only re-affirmed his believe in science and the fact that ghosts weren't real. Although he did enjoy teasing April and his youngest brother whenever they jumped at the jump scares._  
 _For April it was the perfect ending, to what had started off as an awful day._

 **Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review :)**


	16. Chapter 16 - Migraine

**Wow, how long has it been since I posted something?  
I'm happy to say that I have completed, and more importantly passed my dissertation! :) Just need to finished my placement before I graduate. Thank you for your patience and understanding, I will try to post more often now x**

 **Also have you guys TMNT Out of the Shadows? If you haven't your seriously missing out!**

Donatello hummed along cheerfully to the radio as he made improvements to the patrol buggy. The tip of his tongue poking out between his grinning teeth worked.  
Due to the Kraang's antics keeping him and his brothers busy, and April being inundated with homework, he hadn't seen his beautiful red head for the past week. The pair of them had kept in contact via texts but it wasn't the same as being able to see her in person.

That was why the purple ninja was in such a good mood. Tonight was the first night off they had had in a while and they'd planned to take advantage of it. Although the unusual couple had been dating for several months, and hadn't planned anything more than watching a movie together in the lair, the thought of spending time with his sweet chinchilla still never failed to make his heart go wild.

His concentration was broken by a sudden bleep from his T-phone, signalling an incoming text message. Leaning back to snatch the device from its place next to the battered handmade radio, the turtle was thrilled to see that it was from April, only for his good mood to be shattered by the contents of her message.

 **April** : _Hey Don, I'm sorry I can't come over tonight, I feel awful. Can we rearrange for another time? x_

While Donnie was disappointed at the sudden change of plans, it pained him more knowing his girlfriend was sick. Already the medical part of his mind was going into overdrive, imaging possible scenarios and solutions. His imagination conjuring up scenarios that were most likely a hundred times worse than reality. Leaping to his feet, he quickly began tidying up his tools, throwing them randomly into the toolbox which he normally kept neat and organised. Grabbing his Bo staff Donnie dashed out of the lair, his large fingers punching out a quick reply to April as he ran.

 **Donnie** : _Hold tight,_ _I'm coming over x_

It took him just over ten minutes to get to Aprils apartment, running flat out along the roof tops of New York. He was halfway there before remembering to text his brothers to inform them of his whereabouts. Last time he forgot Leo gave him an hour long lecture about responsibility and Splinter had increased his chores for the rest of the week, something he did not want a repeat of.  
Landing silently on the dark fire escape outside Aprils, Donnie took a few seconds to catch his breath before quietly knocking on her window, glancing around to ensure that no one would spot him.

It was a few minutes before April appeared to open the window. Dressed in an oversized jumper and pyjama bottoms her skin was pale and she stumbled slightly as if unsteady on her feet. Her eyes, normally so bright and full of life, looked dulled and tired, as if she hadn't gotten enough sleep lately. Despite all that, she was still the most beautiful thing in the world to him, nothing was going to change that.

"Hey Don" she murmured sliding the window shut behind her reptilian boyfriend, before stepping his outstretched arms. "Hey April" he replied, hugging her tightly against his plastron whilst his medical mind took in her appearance, running through the most likely causes. Stepping back slightly he propped his bo staff against the wall, then guided her to sit on the edge of her bed, never once releasing his hold on her.  
"What's wrong?" Donnie asked gently as she leaned against him.  
"Migraine" April sighed, closing her eyes "my head is killing me, the whole world seems to spin whenever I stand up and I brought up my lunch just after texting you; all I want to do is sleep" .  
"Have you taken anything?"  
"Not since this morning"  
"Wait here"

Pressing a quick kiss to her forehead, Donnie left April's bedroom, relieved that it wasn't something life threatening plaguing his girlfriend although he still had no intentions of leaving her alone for the rest of the night. Heading into the kitchen he grabbed a glass of water and some pain killers from the cupboard, firing off another text to Leo, updating him on his plans.  
There was no sign of April's father Kirby, no doubt he was away on another research trip with work. It annoyed Donatello that Kirby regularly left his daughter by herself for long periods of time, however during these times she pretty much lived in the lair with him and his brothers so she wasn't completely alone. A small smile played on the ninjas lips as he remembered that Kirby's frequent trips also allowed for him and April to spend time together without the risk of being interrupted, something which was almost impossible in the lair.

Wandering back into the bedroom, he passed April the tablets, watching as she swallowed them along with several large sips of water. Kneeling in front of her, he felt her forehead, finding it hot to the touch and she looked exhausted.  
"I'm sorry about our evening" he heard April mumbled sadly on his way into the adjoining bathroom for a wet wash cloth. "Don't worry about it" he answered gently, helping her into bed and laying the cloth against her fore head in an attempt to bring her temperature down. "I still got to see you, even if it wasn't in the way we'd planned", he flashed her favourite gap toothed grin, "And anyway, what sort of boyfriend would I be if I didn't look after you when you were ill"

Despite his tone being light and jokey, Don meant every word he said. It continued to amaze and baffle the scientist how quickly the fiery red head had turned his life upside down, how she could somehow love a mutated turtle. He didn't mind how they spent their time as long as they were together, and he would do anything just to see her smile, to ensure that she was safe and well.

April smiled sleepily, pulling the duvet back and patting the empty space beside her. "Stay with me?" she mumbled, closing her eyes, nearly falling asleep right there and then. If she wasn't feeling so ill, Donnie would've found the scene adorable.  
"Oh I have no intentions of leaving you tonight Miss O'Neil" he replied, removing his weapons belts before climbing into the bed with her, his muscular arms automatically encircling her thin frame as she snuggled as close to him as she could, her head resting against his plastron.  
"Thanks Don" April mumbled, as he tugged the blanket up around them, her mind already half asleep, making her words come out slightly mushed making him smile.  
"Anytime" he responded, kissing the top of her head.  
"I love you" she breathed before succumbing to sleep completely. Donatello watched her sleep for a few moments, gently brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face before closing his own eyes.  
"Love you to April"

 **As always, please leave a review, I love hearing what you guys think xx**


	17. Chapter 17 - Prom

**I'd like to thank MizoreShirayukiFan for suggesting the topic for this one.  
Please feel free to suggest any more topics guys, its interesting to see what you come up with.  
I had a couple of ideas for this one so I may post another Prom one shot up later on. Not decided yet.**

Being girly didn't come naturally to April, she just wasn't the type of girl who wore skirts and heels, nor was she the sort to constantly fret over how she should style her hair or make up, which was good considering how often she spent roaming round the sewers. Given the option she would always opt for a pair of comfy jeans and t-shirt. But this was prom and she was determined to make an effort.

Standing in front of her full length mirror, April twisted and turned, craning her neck in an attempt to see as much of herself as possible. Her dress was a simple floor length gown, dark purple in colour. The plain fabric clung to her waist and chest, highlighting her curves. It had a single shoulder strap which was decorated with a delicate silver pattern of flowers and leaves, which curved around her body ending at the top of her waist. Around her neck she wore a simple silver chain that held a small sakura flower made out of scrap metal that Donatello had carefully pieced together. He'd surprised her with it a while ago and she'd never taken it off since, like it had become part of her.

For makeup, April had kept it simple, seeing as she had very little experience in the area, just a bit of foundation and mascara. Her fiery red hair was out of its usual pony tail had been straightened, framing her face like a flaming waterfall, a bright contrast to the dark fabric of her gown.

The formal attire was completely different from her usual casual get up, but if she was being honest with herself, she looked pretty good. It was just a shame that Donnie wouldn't be able to see it until after prom. The couple knew when they'd got together they wouldn't be able to do everything together like normal couples, but it still pained April to be going without him. Between the two of them, their differences appeared to bother the purple ninja more and she knew he was constantly worried that she would leave him for a normal human boy. He couldn't seem to understand that she loved him both for who and what he was.  
Shaking her head slightly the redhead smiled to herself. For someone so intelligent, her boyfriend really missed the obvious sometimes, but she was working on that.

Glancing at her clock, April snatched up her purse before hurrying out of the apartment, stumbling slightly in her high heels. Since neither her nor Irma had a date for the prom, the two of them had decided to go together and make a girls night of it, despite Casey insisting on joining them. They were probably outside wondering where she'd gotten to.

-XXX-

Prom had been great fun. April had caught up with her friends, some of whom she hadn't chatted to in a long time. They'd danced along to music that was way too loud and all laughed when Casey tripped over his own feet and fell into the punch bowl. The night had been a complete blast and, even though the turtles hadn't been there, April had to admit, it had been nice to spend one night pretending her life was normal and not have to worry about being attacked by the Kraang or Foot. But now it was getting late and her feet ached from being in heels for too long. Thankfully Irma's dad had been able to give her a lift home.  
Closing the apartment door, she leaned against it, kicking off her shoes and sighing with relief, glad to be rid of them. Wandering into the kitchen for some water, April paused, spying a note, taped to the fridge. Peeling the paper off the door, she couldn't help but smile at her boyfriend's messy penmen ship.

 _Hope you had a great time at prom, meet me on the roof? D x_

-XXX-

She found her purple ninja on the roof, just like the note had said. At first, he didn't say anything, just stood there with his mouth open, chocolate eyes fixed on her as if she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. After a few moments he seemed to realise, shaking his head in embarrassment, the cute red tinge appearing through his olive skin. The whole scene was rather cute.

"H-hey April" Donnie stammered, rubbing the back of his neck, a habit of his which showed when he was nervous. "Wow April, you look… I mean, wow", his blush, which he tried and failed to hide, became more pronounced. She couldn't help but giggle, in her opinion a flustered Donnie was adorable. Even though he was much more confident around her now, it still surprised her how, after all this time he could still quickly revert back into his old habits.  
"Hey Don" She replied, pulling the bewildered turtle into a big hug which he instantly returned, holding her tightly against his plastron.  
"You are so beautiful" He murmured into the curve of her neck. Pressing her lips against his, April gently kissed him, enjoying his passionate response before replying.  
"Thank you"  
"How was prom?" April laughed,  
"It was great! I can't wait to tell you about it, but do you mind if we sit down first? My feet are killing me!"  
Sitting down on the edge of the roof, the odd couple stared out across the city. New York looked so pretty at night, with all its dazzling lights sparkling as far as the eye can see. Donatello listened intently as she chatted about the prom, chuckling at the Casey's accident.

"Sounds like fun" He said once she had finished,  
"It was amazing Don, I just wish you could've been there" The scientist was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful.  
Suddenly, Donnie leapt to his feet, scooping the red head up into his arms and grinning gleefully at the way she squealed in surprise and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, although she knew he'd never drop her.  
Don carried her to the centre of the roof, his eyes bright with excitement. "Dance with me?"  
April stared at her boyfriend blankly, "What?"  
He shrugged, "You said you wished I could've come to prom with you, well let's have a mini prom of our own, right now?"  
"But there's no music"  
Carefully setting her down, Donnie produced the T-pod from a small pouch in his belt, presenting the device to her with a flourish. "You were saying?"

Giggling she watched as he unwrapped the headphones from around the T-pod, passing her an earbud whilst inserting the other into his own ear and searching for a song. The song he chose was gentle and slow, it summed up the way the two felt about each other perfectly. It was their song.

Looping her arms loosely around his neck, April stepped into her mutants embrace. Her heels evened their height a little even though he still had a few inches on her. In his eyes she only saw love and passion, and she knew that he saw the same in hers. Hands encircling her waist, Donnie pulled her close so that her body was flushed against his plastron. She could just about feel his heart beat through his this plastron. Its pace matched hers, wild and erratic. Slowly the pair began to dance, gradually moving around in a circle, foreheads touching, lost in their own little world. Just her and Donatello. Apart from the occasional affectionate murmurs, not much was said. They just simply enjoyed the moment.

For April this was better than prom, it was the perfect ending to what had already been an amazing night and if she had her way, the moment would never end.

 **A/N As you guys know, I'm not great at picking music for these but I was thinking that that their song could either be The Scientist by Cold Play, or You light up my life by LeAnn Rimes. Leaning towards The Scientist, what do you think?**


	18. Chapter 18 - Fireflies

**Hi guys, sorry for the majorly long delay but here is another chapter, not sure what to say about this one, the idea just got stuck in my head and wouldn't go until I wrote it down. I'm sure the ending needs some work and hopefully I'll get round to that at some point. As always I hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a review x**

It was quiet at the old farmhouse. The only exceptions being the gushing of a nearby river, chirping of crickets hiding amongst the grass and the sounds of good natured laughter as the majority of the turtles, and Casey settled down to watch cartoons and eat a phenomenal amount of pizza.

Only Donnie and April were missing, the unusual couple taking a break from the group's antics to spend some time together, just the two of them. Stepping out onto the front porch, the purple ninja took a moment to observe the evening sky. The sun was low in the sky, hidden behind the trees casting long dark shadows across the grass whilst the sky was ablaze of vibrant colours. A fiery orange streaked with pink and purple. Having spent the majority of his life underground, having the opportunity to witness something so natural and beautiful only made the scientist appreciate it more.

April joined him a few moments later with a large flashlight in her hands.  
"Ready to go?" she asked brightly, slipping a small, delicate hand into one of his large bulky ones.  
"Sure" Donnie replied, unable to prevent a dorky grin spreading across his face at the simple gesture. Being with the beautiful red head still felt like a dream to the mutant, one he hoped he'd never wake from.  
Hand in hand they walked around the farmhouse heading towards the surrounding woods.  
"Is there anywhere in particular you wanted to go?" Donnie asked after several minutes of comfortable silence.  
"Well, I was hoping we'd head to the river, there was something I wanted to show you, if you up for it". Donatello grinned her favourite grin that lit up his face and showed the gap in his teeth.  
"As long as I'm with you Miss O'Neil, I'm up for anything".

XXX

A while later they were sat under a tree, the river flowing smoothly next to them. The sun had only just set giving the surrounding woods a dark and eerie look. Above them a cloudless sky littered with thousands of stars that sparkled like tiny diamonds. Donatello was sat with his carapace leaning against the tree, his arms around the thin frame of his girlfriend who was sat between his legs, hugging her against his plastron.

Why they were there he didn't know, but when he asked April simply smiled and told him to wait and see. For a while nothing happened and the pair chatted casually about nothing in particular, until April suddenly grasped his arm.  
"Look" she whispered, pointing out across the water.

As they watched, tiny orbs of soft yellow light began to appear from the undergrowth, dancing through the trees and across the inky black water. A brief light breeze caused them to spin wildly. Soon the whole area was filled with fireflies, lighting up the woods like a scene out of a Disney film. The whole sight was simply breath taking.

"This is what I wanted to show you" April murmured. The light from the dancing fireflies making her eyes sparkle as she watched, "My Dad used to take me to the farm house every summer, but my favourite part was always coming to watch the fire flies". The emotion in her voice broke the turtle's attention away from the spectacle in front of him. He knew April was missing her father who, like many others, had been mutated and kidnapped by the Kraang back in New York. But despite that, and everything else the group was going through, she remained one of the strongest members of their group, keeping up moral and helping out whenever she could. Her resilience was one of the many things Donnie loved about her. But what made this moment even more special for him was that by sharing this amazing experience, April was also sharing a piece of her past, a part of herself. The fact that she felt able to share something like this only reinforced her feelings for him, something which he'd had a hard time believing at times. Who could love a mutated freak like him? Clearly April could.

Gently crushing her against his chest, the turtle buried his head into the crook of her neck, softly kissing her shoulder. "Thank you" he murmured, "for sharing this with me".  
April didn't respond, simply leaning back against his plastron, enjoying the comforting circle of his arms. "We'll get him back April" Donnie continued, "We'll get everyone back, just you see"  
"I know"  
Around them the fireflies continued to swirl and dance, as if putting on a private performance specially for the extraordinary couple who sat there, cocooned in each other's embrace, looking on in awe well into the night. It was a special moment that neither of them wanted to end.


	19. Chapter 19 - True Loves Kiss

**Sorry its been so long guys. Like all of my fanfictions this one could do with some work, I swear at some point I will find time to go back and update all of these. Unfortunately whilst I appear to be good at getting ideas, I really struggle to get them written down.  
In the mean time I hope you enjoy :)**

It had started off as a normal patrol. Their usual hunt for any suspicious Kraang or Foot activity. After several hours of searching and finding nothing, the four turtles and their two human companions decided to head back. As usual Mikey had been winding up Raph who then tried to pummel his youngest brother into a pulp whilst Casey and Leo tried in vain to stop him. Donnie and April had stood behind them, watching the commotion, talking about nothing in particular.

That was when they were ambushed. Seemingly countless footbots suddenly appeared out of nowhere, diving straight into a full out attack. The fight had been going well, the footbots not lasting long against the turtle's fighting skills. Pieces of their mechanical bodies covered the rooftops. Unfortunately they had just been a distraction. Whilst they were all distracted none of them noticed Karai hiding silently in the shadows, watching the chaos and patiently waiting for her opportunity to pounce on whoever was unfortunate enough to get too close.

Which is how April ended up lying unconscious on the makeshift cot in Donatello's lab. Like the rest of them she had several cuts and bruises, all of which had been easy to fix, but the red head had taken a serious blow to the head after being viciously thrown into a wall by the more experienced Kunoichi. The two girls hadn't fought for long before the others had managed to evade the remaining footbots and intervene but by then it was too late.

With his brothers and Casey now recuperating in the living room, only Donnie remained in the lab with their unconscious friend. Occasionally one of them would pop in to check on them, but right now, he wanted to be alone.  
In his head, the scientist knew that April was going to be fine, that she'd make a full recovery in no time and that her current condition was just how her body was dealing with the trauma it had just gone through. But he just couldn't bring himself to leave her for more than a few seconds.

Every time he did, his mind was flooded with the image of her lying motionless on the cold floor filling him with fear. For the split second it had taken Donnie to cross the rooftop, he'd actually believed they'd lost her forever. That he would never see the girl of his dreams smile again, or hear her laugh. The hours they would spend chatting in the lab, would never happen again. For that split second his life had shattered only to be saved by the wave of relief that had swamped him when he'd found she was still breathing.

Slumped in a stool next to the cot, Donnie chatted to the sleeping girl, letting her know how the others were doing and how Leo planned on figuring out Shredders latest plans. He knew she probably couldn't hear a thing he was saying but it made him feel better, like they were just having one of their chats, where it was just Donnie and April and no one else. For him those were the best times.

Part of the purple ninja was angry at himself for never overcoming his insecurities, that he could've lost April for good and never found the courage to tell her how he felt. She probably knew already. April was an observant person and no doubt had noticed how he turned into a babbling idiot whenever she came into the room, or overheard the constant teasing he received from his brothers.  
Sighing to himself the turtle took Aprils hand in his own, his heart sinking at the vast differences between them the reason why she would never even contemplate being with a mutant like him.

But if he was going to tell her how he felt, now would probably be the best time. At least he wouldn't have to face the rejection that would surely follow.

"You know April" he began, "there is something I have never told you. You probably know this already but if I don't say this now, I probably never will, and I'll probably never have the guts to say this to your face". Absentmindedly he played with her fingers, taking a deep breath before continuing.  
"The thing is April; I love you, I have done from the moment I first laid eyes on you, and not just because you are the most beautiful girl I've ever met" He chuckled to himself "well you're the only girl I've ever met, b-but that's not the point"  
"I love you because, your funny a-and your smart. Your determined and strong, never giving up no matter what. You're so caring and have always there when we've needed you and…" Donnie smiled to himself "you handle Raph and Mikey like a pro".  
Sighing, the purple mutant, turned to look at the red head lying motionless beside him. Raising his giant hand, he gently stroked her forehead, removing any stray strands of hair that covered her eyes. "You've changed our lives in so many ways, I can't even begin to imagine what life would be like without you. I know if you could hear me you'd probably call me an idiot but that's how I feel"

Closing his eyes, the turtle leaned down pressing a light kiss to her forehead. "I love you April".

"I love you to you big nerd"

Donatello's brown eyes flew open in shock at the voice, finding a pair of sapphire blue ones staring back up at him. "April!" he exclaimed "Your awake, we were so worried about you, how are you- wait what did you just say?" he asked not quite believing what he had just heard. Surely, she didn't have just said what he thought she did, did she?  
April laughed quietly at the confused expression on the scientist's face. "I said, I love you to you big nerd"  
For a few moments Donnie didn't move, part of him wanted to shout for joy whilst the other part burned with embarrassment in the knowledge that his crush had heard everything he had just said.  
Suddenly before he could stop himself, the turtle shot to his feet, scooping April up into his arms before spinning her around as he kissed her passionately. In that moment he could not describe the rush of incredible feelings that ran through him, only that he had never felt like this before.

All of a sudden, his rational mind took over and he stopped, pulling away, searching for any sign that he had over stepped a boundary or made her injuries worse. His face burned as it turned a similar colour to Raph's mask. In his arms, April smiled, raising a hand to softly touch his cheek, before pulling his face down to meet hers once more.


	20. Chapter 20 - Nightmare 2

**Here is another "nightmare" oneshot. Hope you enjoy :)**

A loud rattling noise woke Donatello. Half opening his bleary eyes he leaned across to switch on his bedside lamp, squinting at the sudden burst of light. As his eyes adjusted, he caught a quick glimpse of the battered alarm clock, that he'd rescued from the dump, violently shaking before it suddenly flew across the room hitting his bedroom door before falling to the floor with a loud clunk.

Glancing around his small bedroom, the ninja could see that several other, generally inanimate objects, were also moving. Many of his books, pens and tools were either shaking or flying around the room at a high speed. To any outsider the whole scene looked like something out of a supernatural horror movie, but Donnie knew exactly what was going on and the erratic movements of the person sleeping beside him only confirmed it, though how long it had been going on for, he did not know.

Given the number of battles and death defying experiences they had all lived through it was unsurprising that the team suffered from nightmares occasionally. But Aprils telekinetic abilities seemed to go out of control whenever she had a bad dream often giving similar results to what was happening now. The first time it happened she'd been so embarrassed that she'd burst into tears despite his reassurance that everything was ok.  
Her nightmares had gotten worse and more frequent since her episode with the Aeon crystal that led to her becoming possessed and reduce him to atoms. Even though she'd managed to regain control of herself and was able bring him back to life, the whole experience had traumatised her. Knowing it had been the fault of the Aeon inside her, and that April would never have done such a thing herself, Donnie had forgiven her immediately, but it made little difference to how she felt. He had a feeling it was something that would take a long time for her to get over, if she ever did at all.

Rolling over he could see that April was deep in the grasp of a nightmare, her entire body writhing and kicking in attempts to get away from whatever plagued her mind. Her flaming red hair messily covered her face which was full of fear and she was gasping for breath. It pained him deeply to see her this way. Scooting closer to his girlfriend he quickly encircled her thin frame with his strong arms, restricting her panicked movements as he held her close so her back was against his plastron, and ignoring her continued attempts to kick and struggle.

Scooping the hair out of her face, Donnie rested the side of his head against hers murmuring comfortingly in her ear in the hopes that she would somehow hear him in her sleep.  
"It's ok April, I've got you" he said quietly, softly stroking her hair.  
"Donnie" she gasped seeming to relax a bit as she unconsciously listened. Her breathing slowing down to a more normal rhythm and her face relaxed. Her panicked movements reduced to random twitching though she still felt tense.  
"I'm here April, your safe, we all are". Gently he kissed the side of her forehead, "There's nothing to fear, it's just a dream. Go back to sleep, I won't let anything happen to you".

Finally, she completely relaxed against him. Cradling one of his muscular arms as a child would a toy and burying herself deeper into the safety of his embrace she let out a sigh, as if she had been holding her breath for a long time, before going still. Briefly de-tangling himself, the turtle leaned back to switch off the light, seeing the various floating objects fall to the floor around them, they could wait till the morning. The lack of movement allowed silence to fill the room. Nestling back into their embrace, he closed his eyes, listening to Aprils slower more even breathing allowing sleep to pull him under. To him April meant everything, and it never ceased to amaze him that she was his, but even if she wasn't he'd decided a long time ago that he would always be there to protect her.

 **Don't forget to leave a review :)**


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